Democracy for New Mexico

NARAL Hosts Gloria Steinem at UNM Town Hall 10/12 and Offers VIP Seats for Michael Moore

"We Can Do It" - Gloria Steinem to Speak at UNM Town Hall: From the Women's Movement to the Women's Vote in 2004

WHEN: Tues. October 12, 7:00 PM

WHERE: Ballroom A in the Student Union Building (SUB) at UNM, Albuquerque. The SUB is one building north of Popejoy Hall.

WHAT: NARAL Pro-Choice NM and Gloria Steinem will host a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the women's vote and women's issues in the 2004 election. Ms. Steinem is the co-founder of Ms. Magazine and the National Women's Political Caucus, author, and leader of the women's rights movement.

SPONSORS: NARAL Pro-Choice UNM, UNM Women's Resource Center, Weekly Alibi, League of Democratic Action, UNM Progressive Student Union

RSVP: Call 505.243.4443 or send an email to womenvote@prochoicenm.org to reserve your seat at the Town Hall.

Volunteer with NARAL Pro-Choice NM and get a VIP seat to see Michael Moore for free!

WHEN: Sun. October 10, 2:30 PM

WHERE: The PIT. Volunteers will meet at the main entrance to the PIT. The Pit (University Arena) is located on the Southwest corner of Avenida Cesar Chavez and University.

WHAT: See Michael Moore, the Fahrenheit 9/11 filmmaker and author of Stupid White Men, on his "Slacker Uprising Tour." Volunteers will get a chance to meet Michael Moore and get VIP seating at the event.

SPONSORS: Call 505.243.4443 or email womenvote@prochoicenm.org to sign up to volunteer for this event.

Click through to the continuation to read about other NARAL events.

Come to the 24th Annual Auction for Choice this Friday, October 8 and watch the second Presidential Debate.

Doors will open at 6:00pm - come early to begin bidding before the debate starts! The debate will be televised at the auction, so join us for a fun evening of bidding, eating, and cheering on your candidate. The silent auction starts at 6:30 and the live auction at 8:00 pm. The auction will be at the Wool Warehouse of Albuquerque (Corner of 1st and Roma). Buy your tickets and view auction items today.

Call women voters in New Mexico and help the massive Get-Out-The-Vote effort!

We are involved in the biggest voter turnout program of NARAL's history in New Mexico! We are mobilizing thousands of infrequent women voters to the polls and helping to elect pro-choice candidates up and down the ticket. We have recruited dozens of volunteers, sent over 14,000 pieces of persuasive mail to voters, and called thousands of women this election. And, now we need your help in the final push before the election.

WHEN: Mondays - Fridays 5:30-8:30 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm now until Election Day

WHERE: NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico office in Albuquerque and other locations in Las Cruces and Santa Fe.

WHAT: NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico is mobilizing thousands of women to vote on November 2. In 2000, 22 million women did not vote. Help us change this statistic. Join us to get out the women's vote in New Mexico. We will train and feed you. Please sign up today!

RSVP: Call 505.243.4443 or send an email to womenvote@prochoicenewmexico.org to volunteer today.

Michael Moore at UNM Pit This Sunday

The UNM College Democrats are bringing Michael Moore to The Pit this Sunday, October 10 from 6-8 PM as part of his "Slacker Uprising Tour." This is Moore's only "Slacker" stop in New Mexico!

Tickets are only $5, general seating, and are available now at unmtickets.com and all tickets.com outlets, including the UNM Ticketing Offices at the Bookstore (across from the Frontier) and at The Pit (online purchases come with a small service charge; purchases at UNM don't). Doors open Sunday at 4:30 PM.

You can follow Michael on his travels on his blog.

Click through to the continuation page for the announcement of Moore's 60-city swing state tour.

Michael Moore Launches 60-City Swing State Tour

College and NBA Arenas in 20 Battleground States to Feature Live, On Stage, Oscar-winning Filmmaker

He Plans to Rally Non-voters and Slackers, "America's Majority"
Calling it his "Slacker Uprising Tour" in an effort to get millions of traditional non-voters to the polls on November 2, the Oscar-winning filmmaker of "Fahrenheit 9/11" and #1 bestselling author Michael Moore announced today that he will embark on a 60-city tour to the 20 battleground states beginning September 26 in Elk Rapids, Michigan, and ending on Election Day in Tallahassee, Florida.

Moore will be appearing on college campuses in their auditoriums, arenas, stadiums and field houses (Penn State, Univ. of New Mexico, Univ. of Florida, among others), NBA arenas (Seattle), and hockey arenas (Toledo). Nearly all venues will hold between 5,000 and 15,000 people, with students -- historically the largest block of non-voters in presidential elections -- admitted for free at most events (at some events, non-students will pay $5 or a nominal charge to cover costs).

Moore's show will consist of his monologue, interaction with the audience, and a few surprise guests. He will read letters he's received from soldiers in Iraq (published in his new book, "Will They Ever Trust Us Again -- Letters from the War Zone"), offer prizes for people who register to vote, and conduct the "world's largest karaoke sing-a-long" to John Ashcroft's "Let the Eagle Soar." At many venues Moore will show as yet-unseen clips from his "Fahrenheit 9/11" DVD (to be released October 5), and give everyone present a chance to win their own "pet goat."

"It should be a lot of fun," said Moore. "Most Americans don't vote, and it's not all that hard to understand why. So, I'd like to offer them some incentives to give it a try, just this once. The 50% who are the non-voters are never called by pollsters and are usually ignored by candidates. Should just a few percentage points of the 100 million non-voters decide to show up on November 2 -- watch out."

Moore said his goal is to see that over 56% of the voting public votes in this election -- something that has not happened since 1968.

"It is not the wealthy and the elite who don't vote," added Moore. "The non-voters are the poor, the disenfranchised, the single moms and young people. I am calling for a non-voter uprising, led by thousands of campus slackers who proudly sleep 'til noon and who believe papers are for rolling, not reading. They are rightfully cynical, but this year their motto will be: "Bush and Kerry Both Suck -- That's Why I'm Voting for John Kerry!"

With a number of venues already sold out, over 600,000 people are expected to show up on his tour. Even more will see his film, "Fahrenheit 9/11," which will be shown on most campuses before his arrival. In a warm-up to the tour, 10,000 people last night were able to get into to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for Moore's appearance, with thousands more being turned away due to lack of seats.

Early word of Moore's tour has already sparked protests by campus Republicans and two schools have already caved to pressure to cancel Moore's event.

"I understand why some Bush supporters might be upset," Moore reflected. "I would be, too, if I only had a few weeks left in power."

Eager Voter Days Begin This Tuesday. Voter Registration Ends at 5 PM That Day!

The last day to register to vote before the November 2nd election and the first day for voting in New Mexico is TOMORROW, OCTOBER 5th. Any registered voter in New Mexico can show up at their County Clerk's office from October 5 thru October 30 and cast their vote using a paper absentee ballot. Even if you haven't registered yet, you can show up and register before the deadline of 5:00 PM on October 5th, fill out an absentee ballot, and do everything in one stop.

We expect hundreds of people to show up Tuesday morning at county clerk's offices around New Mexico to cast their votes against the Bush regime. In Santa Fe, Kerry's stepson, Chris Heinz, will be at the Santa Fe County Clerk's Office at 102 Grant Avenue between 9:00 and 9:30 AM to celebrate early voting, and locals will start congregating there to vote at 8 AM when the office opens. Chris will also be participating in an early voting visibility event at Kerry HQ in Albuquerque at 4:30 PM today, October 4.

Here are a few reasons for using an absentee ballot and voting eagerly:

1. Your vote is on paper, and is capable of being recounted, even if entered into an electronic voting machine.

2. You won't be taken in by e-mail hoaxes that tell you to vote on November 3rd. (Such an e-mail was circulated to California Democrats in 2000.)

3. You don't know what will happen that might prevent you from voting on November 2 in spite of your good intentions. Sick dog? Flat tire? Business trip? October surprise? Don't take that chance.
   

New Mexico's voter turnout in 2000 was dismal -- only 47.4% of voting age citizens. We ranked 42nd out of 50 states. We can improve on that with an enthusiastic and informed electorate that votes early. Spread the word.

You can go to the nonpartisan Eager Voter Project website and get information on how to vote early for every county in New Mexico. Also check the left-hand Voting sidebar on this site for links to information on all aspects of voting in New Mexico. What a great message: We Want Bush GONE, and We Cannot Wait Any Longer!

Click through to the continuation of this post for a summary of important voting dates and information. (Thanks to Pam in OK for the Uncle Howard graphic.)

VOTING DEADLINES AND INFORMATION

Voter Registration:
Must be received by the County Clerk by October 5th at 5:00 PM. You can register in person at the County Clerk’s office or use forms available in many places including libraries and campaign offices.

Absentee Ballots:
You can obtain an application for an absentee ballot by visiting, writing or calling your County Clerk, by downloading one at https://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/ABinfo.htm or by visiting any major candidate's campaign office.

You must submit an application for an absentee ballot and get it to the County Clerk by 5:00 PM on October 28th. Absentee ballots for those who have requested them will be mailed to voters beginning October 5th. The ballots must be returned to the County Clerk in their official mailing envelopes by 7:00 PM on November 2nd, election day.

If you request and receive an absentee ballot, you must use it to vote. If you don't use the absentee ballot, you are allowed to request a Provisional Ballot at your polling place on election day.

If you’d rather vote by absentee ballot at the County Clerk’s office, you can do so starting October 5th and ending October 30th.

Early Voting at Satellite Locations:
Early Voting at satellite locations begins on October 16th and ends on October 30th. If you call your County Clerk, they will be able to tell you the locations, including your County Clerk's office.

Early voting at satellite locations happens on the following schedule (call your County Clerk to confirm): Tuesday thru Friday: 12 - 8 PM; Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM.

Election Day:
Voting at precinct polling places takes place on November 2nd. You can find your polling place in Bernalillo County at this site: https://outside.bernco.gov/clerk/precinct.html

Contacts:
Bernalillo County Clerk
One Civic Plaza NW
City/County Building, 6th Floor
Albuquerque NM 87102
505-768-4631 (Bureau of Elections)
Website:
Email: clerk@bernco.gov

Sandoval County Clerk
711 Camino del Pueblo
Bernalillo NM 87004
505-867-7572
Website: https://www.sandovalcounty.com/Clerk/Clerk.html

The nonpartisan Eager Voter Project provides information on voting for each county.

Secretary of State, Bureau of Elections (statewide information)
505-827-3600 or 1-800-477-3632
Website: https://www.sos.state.nm.us/Election/ElectionInfo.htm

Latest From Kerry Campaign

Chris Heinz to visit Albuquerque Monday, October 4th and Santa Fe Tuesday, October 5th, to Promote Early Voting: As most of you know, Tuesday is when the election really begins with early voting (at County Clerk's offices). Chris Heinz will be hosting several events to help spread this message. For John Kerry to win, we need to get 350,000 people to the polls before November 2nd. So every vote we turn out now is critical. The first event will be at UNM Campus where he will stress the importance of the youth vote and voting early.

When: Monday, October 4th, 12:15 p.m.
Where: Johnson Field, UNM Campus (located by the dorms)
Sponsored by the UNM College Democrats and Students for Kerry.

Chris Heinz will be at the Albuquerque NM Victory 2004 Headquarters in the evening. We will be “shoe polishing” car windows for visibility on Tuesday, October 5th. This promises to be a fun event. Please try to attend to help spread the message of early voting. We need to get people to the polls before November 2nd.

When: Monday, October 4th, 4:30 p.m.
Where: 3301 Central NE, Abq

Chris will also be in Santa Fe at the County Clerk's office to celebrate early voting:

When: Tuesday, October 5th, between 9:00 and 9:30 AM
Where: Santa Fe County Clerk's office, 102 Grant Ave., SF

Special Announcement: John Cusack and friends will be in New Mexico visiting UNM and NMSU on Friday: More information will be sent out on Wednesday regarding these events.

Also: Wear Your Kerry Colors at the Balloon Fiesta: If you’re attending any of the 10 days of events at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, wear your Kerry-Edwards T shirts, buttons– any gear you’ve got. Fiesta rules don’t allow active campaigning such as distributing literature or buttons or pitching our candidate. But there’s no dress code. So dress for success for every event through Oct. 10, both at the Fiesta grounds and wherever balloon enthusiasts are likely to gather.

Thanks for all of your support. Remember, we can't spell success without U!
Marci Youngmark, Volunteer Coordinator, 505-256-2570

PS from BW: Thanks to Nancy G. for registering voters at the Balloon Fiesta over the weekend! And I hear that there will be an event in Santa Fe with Chris Heinz to publicize the start of early voting on October 5th, also the last day to register to vote in NM. I'll try to keep you posted.

Pass It On

We went to see the new movie about John Kerry's life and times tonight, after first having the pleasure of meeting and hearing Max Cleland speak at Kerry HQ in Albuquerque. Sen. Cleland provided alot of moving commentary during "Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry" and he was equally impressive face to face.

Since I was in college during the pivotal year of 1968 and beyond, watching the incredible footage from that era was both gut-wrenching and inspiring. It brought me right back to how heroically so many of us viewed Kerry back then, testifying about the horrors of a war gone mad and meaningless. It is hard to reconstruct now just how courageous it was back then for anyone to speak up and tell the truth, let alone veterans.

As we know, the battles continue today between those who owned up to the realities and errors of the Viet Nam war and those who clung to stubborn myths of glory that had clearly been undermined by facts on the ground. Here again is John Kerry being muddied by the manufactured distortions of the Nixon creation that is John O'Neill. It's still a struggle between those who found healing and a thirst for peace by absorbing the truths of Viet Nam and those who are still seeking scapegoats thirty-some years later because they've never learned the lessons or admitted the horrors and their roles in it.

The bullying of cowards continues and grows. As I was writing this post I heard a car door open, footsteps and shuffling, and then a car door slamming out front. It sounded suspicious so we went out and, sure enough, our two Kerry signs were gone. All of a sudden, here comes a vehicle that stops across the street in front of a neighbor's Kerry sign and out pops some guy. All we had to do was yell, "hey don't take that sign" and the chicken raced off as fast as he could floor the thing. These types are always so brave.

Anyway, I hope you'll take the time to see "Going Upriver," get a DVD and share it with everyone you can. A new site called KeepItGoing.org is about continuing the conversation inspired by the movie, and making it easy to pass it on. And if you'd like to read the testimony of the Winter Soldiers shown in the film, whose views Kerry represented at the Senate hearing, go here.

(Poster of My Lai Massacre from The Sixties Project's collection of political posters. Click the image for a larger version.)

Must See

Go see the video "Faces of Frustration" at the DNC website. An excellent compilation of Bush's bizarro facial expressions while Kerry was speaking in the debate last night. Resolute? Well, it IS HARD WORK!

Rally With Max Cleland at ABQ Kerry HQ Today at 4:15 PM

Vietnam veteran and former Georgia Senator Max Cleland will rally with Kerry volunteers at the Albuquerque Kerry HQ at 3301 Central NE at 4:15 PM today, October 1st. Everyone is welcome! Here's a website that details Cleland's Viet Nam experience with photos from the era.

Democratic Party Offers 10/4 Voting Rights Training in ABQ, SF, Las Cruces

From the Democratic Party of New Mexico:

November 2nd is weeks away. This critical election is upon us. The Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) is determined to protect voter rights, to insure that no voter is turned away at the polls, and to insure that all votes are counted this time.

DPNM needs your help. We need Democrats willing to volunteer for pre-election, Election Day, and post-Election Day activities. In each county, the County Chair will be appointing poll watchers and challengers. To help the County Chairs, DPNM will be holding training sessions on election laws and voters’ rights. All of these sessions will be held on October 4, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe:

Albuquerque - Plumbers and Steamfitters Union Hall, 510 San Pedro Dr., SE
Las Cruces - Carpenters Hall, 1880 N. Solano
Santa Fe - NEA-New Mexico, 2007 Botolph St.

The training sessions will review:

New Mexico’s Voter Bill of Rights
registration requirements
voter’s eligibility and qualification requirements,
absentee voting
early voting
voter assistance

The trainings will address how to recognize voter intimidation and other unlawful practices, and procedures to be followed by the officials in counting the absentee, early vote, machine and provisional ballots. All Democrats are invited and encouraged to attend. If you are interested in attending or in volunteering for this important project, please reply by email to: Jim@NMVictory2004.com using the words “VOTER PROTECTION PROGRAM NM” in the subject line. Let’s rally New Mexico to vote for Democrats.

Outta Da Park

Can anyone reasonably deny that Kerry big-time bested Bush last nite in the first debate? Using any or all criteria? Home Run Home Run Home Run. I thought the most chilling views of Bush came while he was reacting to what Kerry was saying. His body language and facial expressions were more like a petulant teen's reaction to parental complaints than a commander-in-chief or "leader of the free world."

We watched it on mighty CSPAN, which showed the whole thing with a split-screen, close-up shot of each of them, side by side. Bush squirmed and made faces and shrugged and sent dirty looks Kerry's way and rolled his eyes. At times I thought he looked more like one of the Three Stooges than the "resolute leader" image created by all that spin. Truly horrifying to think this spoiled, irrational child is at the helm while Planet Earth faces such incredible challenges and dangers. If you haven't seen the CSPAN coverage, they'll probably be replaying it or you can watch video here.

I thought Kerry, on the other hand, came across clear, concise, passionate yet respectful, and focused like a laser on Bush's failures. He was precise and seemed very comfortable in his skin. He rocked! After all the tension and almost panic I've felt among us during this run-up to the first debate, what a relief to see even the talking heads glumly admitting that Kerry won. Yowsa.

This is a horse race just rounding the final turn. Dig in!

AND WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE DEBATE? WE'D LOVE TO READ YOUR YOUR COMMENTS!